i scanned the article at work

UPDATE, WILCOX WAS SENTENCED JUNE 24, 2009: read it and see it here


and emailed it to myself at work, then emailed it to me at home. the article (in pdf form) didn't come through. i'll try to scan it and email it directly home today.

at any rate, i wanted to put this out there. it's an email (i edited it a bit for this blog) i sent out to my team yesterday

Subject: Smoke Fire and Angels - PLEASE READ (thanks)
Importance: High

I did NOT intentionally exclude anyone from this distribution. Please DO forward this on. The more people that know about the forthcoming book, the better

Mark Robinson who works in our Internal Communications department is writing a book. "A book about what?" you ask. Well, I'll tell you. Mark happened to be a survivor of the horrible Avon Mountain crash almost four years ago. He's writing a book about that. It goes well beyond just the accident though.

This subject is especially close to not only me (because I am lucky enough to consider Mark a friend of mine), but to Joe as well. Joe's cousin, Chip was killed in this tragedy. Chip had a loving family including a mom and siblings, a wife and FIVE very young daughters.

Here's a copy of an article in the current issue of the Valley Press (Farmington Valley paper). I would be remiss if I didn't mention Mark is not entirely happy with everything in the article. The header under the title for one thing (Mark doesn't necessarily feel he was 'spared' while others were taken. No one knows why one is here and another is not). Mark would also immediately tell you, the police officer's name is NOT Mango. It is Rob MAGAO. There are other things Mark would like to correct but I'll leave that for another time and place.

<> the missing pdf file IS HERE (again, i'll try to get it)

Mark is someone who is very special indeed. I'm not saying that lightly either. Both Joe and I were privileged to read some of the book (I believe it was the first six chapters). I can't even tell you the amount of research that was put into it. I can't tell you how many people and police and firefighters and lawyers and survivors and families Mark has spoken with. He has talked to some of Chip's family, to the father of the man who was driving the dump truck, to the daughter of the man who was driving the bus (who also later died) to the passers by who just happened to put their OWN lives at risk by helping others who couldn't help themselves. He's even spoken to David Wilcox the owner of the UNINSURED and in the state of DISREPAIR dump truck that caused this horror.

Please stop by the website (I believe it's still under construction). There are some amazing pictures (the photographer donated his services by the way) of some who were in the accident (good pic of Joe's aunt and cousins Lorie, Bobbie and Johnny) and their angels as well as the families of some who didn't survive. If you click on one of the pictures, it will bring you to another page of the site


smoke fire and angels

click on 'inquires' and it brings you to an incredible brochure about the upcoming book

Oh, did I forget to mention the PROCEEDS FROM THE BOOK ARE BEING DONATED TO A FUND FOR THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES

(according to the website, Mark would like to have the book finished and available by July 29th, the 4th anniversary of the crash)